He's Gone
by Yutaka Satoe
Summary: Tsuna...No, it can't be. He shouldn't be dead. He...shouldn't...couldn't...The guardians are all in grief. These are their thoughts. Somewhat All27, but hinted 1827. Deathfic.
1. Hibari Kyoya

**HELLO EVERYONE! So here I am, typing another one of my angst fics. Oh, and there is 1827 hints here.**

**Disclaimer:Although I own lots of KHR manga, I do not own the seriea...KHR is not mine, it's Akira Amano-sensei's. What I do with them is for yours and my reading pleasure.**

**So, enjoy!!**

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"_Byakuran, about the deal…"_

"_No need to talk about it."_

"_W-wha-? You mean you…"_

"_Nope."_

"_Then-"_

_Byakuran snapped his fingers. As if commanded, guns emerged from the ceiling, the walls and even the floor. All were aimed at a certain brown-haired man._

"_Byakuran… What's the meaning of this?!"_

"_Simple. I don't want a truce." He opened his eyes and his sickening smile grew. "Good-bye, Tsunayoshi-kun."_

_It ended with a series of gunshots._

Hibari clenched his teeth as the memory of it resurfaced in his mind. Byakuran to talk. It was only when they heard gunshots did they barge into the room. Everyone flinched when they saw their Boss on the ground, eyes closed, bullet wounds all around his body.

Gokudera took out his dynamites.

Yamamoto readied his sword.

Ryohei raised his fists.

Chrome changed to Mukuro, trident in his hand.

Lambo put on his horns.

As for he, he stared at the body for a while before his tonfas were in his hands.

"_Oh, planning to fight me? I don't think you can; you will disturb Tsunayoshi-kun's peaceful sleep." Byakuran had said that with a simle._

"_You bastard…" Gokudera muttered._

"_Only this once will I let you off. Farewell!" And with a blinding light, the sadistic man vanished._

_Everyone fell on their knees, willing themselves not to cry._

It was the day after the funeral. There, Gokudera, Lambo, I-Pin, Haru, Kyoko, Fuuta and Chrome and surprisingly, Bianchi broke down in mournful tears. Hibari stood emotionless while Yamamoto, Ryohei and some others comforted the teary ones. The procession was so big, even the Varia turned up. No one paid attention to them, though.

So Hibari was now in his room, in the Vongola's Italy Base.

So, why, herbivore? You knew what was to happen. But why did you still go to meet that bastard? Why?

Hibari knew it was absolutely pointless to think this way. There would be no answer, even if he was to shout it out, he would not get an answer.

But still, why? That bugged Hibari.

Did he hope for his Guardians to finish his unfinished business? Or did he simply want to give up?

Not possible. Tsunayoshi would not leave his Guardians there to die. He would not leave his Family there to die.

No way will he do that. So why?

A sudden stab of confusion pierced Hibari. Why did he even care so much? Tsunayoshi was nothing to him. He was only Hibari's fighting opponent. Nothing more.

A knife of sadness embedded itself in Hibari's heart. No, he was not just a punching bag for Hibari, the latter realized. _He was more…_

He was a leader. A true leader. Never once had he forced his Cloud Guardian to do anything for him. Never once had he done anything for selfish reasons. His family came first. It came before him.

A coward he was at first, and his past attitude still pisses Hibari off. But over the course of ten years, he has changed. He has changed into a capable person. After all, it was he who ordered the underground base to be built.

Hibari went through his mind all the encounters with Tsunayoshi he could possibly recall.

The first time they really talked to each other at school. Their first battle together (with a Leon slipper – it was in the reception room). Their fight against their past antagonist, now ally, Rokudo Mukuro. The fight against Varia… So many times had they been on the same side, fighting together.

A pang of grief struck Hibari. He had to admit – he missed the man already. He was a great acquaintance, definitely, but their time with each other did not last.

A ray of light filtered through his room, and the B-Class ring on his finger glimmered. Oh yes, it was the ring Tsunayoshi gave him.

Hibari walked to the window and drew the curtains open. The sky was blue today; unlike the storm which blew sorrow the day before. Clouds slowly drifted by and the serenity of it all made Hibari forget everything for a split second.

Is this your doing, Tsunayoshi? Are you trying to cheer us up?

Hibari held out his hand with the ring in front of him, arm straightened.

He recited, from what he remembered of what Bucking Bronco told him when it was the ten days training period before fighting Varia, "I am the Cloud who independently drifts. I hold up the Sky and supports it; I cover it when it is sad. I protect the Sky with what I have; should I fail, I will fall as Rain. But I will always come back as a Cloud once again."

His eyes felt wet, and before he knew it, he was on his knees, tears uncontrollably streaming out of his eyes.

And so there he was, crying. Crying as a Cloud, crying for the Sky.

Crying for Tsunayoshi.

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**Man, this is sad. Ok, let me thank thebloodstained-sky for her very kind help. **

**Hm, I'm wondering, should I continue to everyone's thoughts? I'll try. Please read and review! You support is appreciated!**


	2. Rokudo Mukuro

**FINALLY! The second chapter! Even though I didn't exactly take years to write this, but I have to admit that this was rather tough, considering that I had written a Mukuro fic. Ironically, it is also about Tsuna. It was kinda tough coming up with this, so I apologise if its far to similar to my fic, "Why?"**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn (Much as I want to).**

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Kufufu...

Mukuro smiled, but no, it was no normal smile. It was a cold one, one that reflected the grief, the anger, the hatred he felt.

Wait a minute.

Grief?

Anger?

Hatred?

What were those feelings? Never once had he felt such strong emotions conquer his heart. Sure, he hated the Mafia for what they did to him when he was a child, but this...this was different. He hated a certain marshmallow freak because...because he killed one of the few people dear to him.

Yes, he had to admit it. He cared for the Tenth Boss of Vongola, Sawada Tsunayoshi. For ten years, the kind boss did so much for them. It was none other than he who freed him from the clutches of the Vendicare. Sawada Tsunayoshi was also the one who gave him a reason to live on in this world. Live as a human, not as one who would find ways and means to cause corruption and destruction.

He had long given up his ways as one who opposes everything in this world. He had since changed his opinion on this dimension. It was now beautiful, not a miserable piece of land and sea, despite the many conflicts around the world. It was beautiful not because it was perfect, but because it was _not_ perfect. Sawada Tsunayoshi was the very one who taught him that.

He had spent many many interesting and fruitful seasons with that man. But it was all over. Those days would never come back, no matter how much he hoped for.

Gone.

He was gone.

It happened so quickly. Everyone was just outside that room. The room where it all started, where it all ended.

If only...if only they were just half a minute faster. If only they reacted just that bit faster.

Oh, sure, they heard the buzzing sounds of machinery, and yes, they heard muffled shouts. But why did no one react? Everyone just stood there. Not moving. It was only after their dear boss was gunned down did everyone barge into that room.

But it was too late.

Byakuran had allowed them to leave. The illusionist, too, couldn't bother to even try to fight the man. All he cared was to get Tsunayoshi out of that place of no good. Surprisingly, even Hibari Kyoya cooperated and did not fight the wicked person.

The funeral was even more heartstabbing. Sounds of sobs, cries of grief...It was painful enough to see Tsunayoshi get shot, but now this?

Even his dear Chrome had broken out of her shell, no longer giving a thought of who was watching her, and she just kneeled there, crying her heart out. Yamamoto lent her a comforting shoulder, and he was grateful for that. He couldn't bear to see his beloved Chrome cry.

A flicker of light sneaked into the room. He drew the curtains open and looked out to the world above.

The sky. It was so beautiful.

It was a sunny day, but it wasn't too bright. It was just nice. Clouds drifted slowly. They looked so peaceful. He knew that their Cloud Guardian was nowhere near peace. He was in his room right now, probably in grief, like everyone else. Hibari had, no doubt, grown close to Tsunayoshi.

His ring on his right hand glimmered. The B-class ring Tsunayoshi gave him last Christmas. Tsunayoshi had given rings to everyone for Christmas, B-class rings to be precise. It had been a precious gift to everyone then, but its value had greatly grown. It was, after all, their last gift from him.

Lifting his hand to face the misty trees in a distance, he recited the lines that has been passed from generation to generation of the Mist Guardians of Vongola.

"I am the Mist who renders the Family's true form intangible with vision of deceit. I create something from nothing, and nothing to something. I protect the Sky with my trickery. Never shall I reveal my true form, to ally or enemy. Only the Sky shall know who I truly am, and I will give my life, physically and mentally, in whatever form, to protect the Sky."

For the first time in a long while, a small tear slid from the side of Rokudo Mukuro's eye.

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**Yes, incredibly short. I was quite surprised by the number of words in this chapter. If you exclude the author's notes, you actually get 691 words! **

**Hm...Just to tell my dear readers, the next chapter will take quite a while...and it's Gokudera's. I'll be quite busy for the next two months, so I might not be able to update. Of course, I shall find some time to write. Gotta study for some important exams, two of it, actually. **

**Please read and review! :)**

**(I just realised, if you include the author's note [this section included], you will actually get 969 words!)**


	3. Gokudera Hayato

**Er...**

**PLEASE!!! I KNOW I TOOK A LONG TIME TO UPDATE!! DON'T KILL ME!**

**I've gotten myself obsessed with caps...**

**Sorry again.**

**Well, here's the (supposedly) long-awaited third chapter! It's focuses on Gokudera's sadness and...yeah. Read on. No spoilers here.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

**Enjoy!**

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_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."_

_Tears fell uncontrollably. _

_"Gokudera..."_

_He did not bother to look up. It was Yamamoto. He felt the man kneel beside him. _

_"Gokudera...Please don't cry..."_

_Idiot. That just invited more tears. Gokudera turned and sobbed endlessly into Yamamoto's shoulder._

_"Tenth...Tenth...Tenth..."_

_Yamamoto soon left Gokudera, understanding the pain he felt and the need to be alone._

Gokudera sat on the bed in his room, leaning against the whitewashed wall.

A week.

It definitely felt longer than it. All day and all night for the past week was spent in the room he was assigned at the base. Yamamoto had been faithfully delivering Gokudera his meals and making sure he ate. Of course, the silver-haired man ate. However, he still felt empty inside. It was like someone had removed his...his soul from him. Inside him, he felt, was not more than a pit of nothingness.

He caught sight of the dining utensils on his table. The swordsman had left not too long ago, and Gokudera had already finished his food, but he felt neither full nor energized. He trembled as a thought came into his head.

_I don't deserve this, Yamamoto. I failed the Tenth. I don't deserve to live._

The words echoed in his head for every day of the week. So devastated was he that he barely murmured a word to anyone, let alone tell Yamamoto to get lost. He allowed only Yamamoto to interact with him silently.

He should be grateful to the man. As a right-hand man, he knew the grief that weighed in the Rain Guardian. It was hard, even for Yamamoto, to smile, what about grin? As a right-hand man, he knew that everyone, even the usually coldhearted Hibari Kyoya, was very much consumed in grief. Yes, Hibari Kyoya, the supposedly invincible man, had been defeated by the passing of the Vongola Decimo. And of course Gokudera would know, despite not seeing that man for a week. He had to admit, Hibari Kyoya had grown very attached to the Tenth. How did he know, it was a simple reason. He was the Tenth's right-hand man, after all.

_Right hand man?_

He was no longer one. Never had the right to be so. It was because of his...his fooling around that made him the right hand man. He was no more than a normal Mafioso, just one holding the title of Vongola's Storm Guardian. No more than that. He was, Gokudera sadly realised, weaker than Hibari or Mukuro. Heck, even the baseball freak was stronger than him.

Oh, why? Why did he allow the Tenth to go? Well, yeah, he did try to stop the Tenth from going to meet that bastard. Although the Tenth was not willing to listen to Gokudera's pleas, he should have tried harder! Why did he finally mutter a "Yes, Boss." and abandon the resolve to stop him? Why did he open the door to the car, why did he walk the Tenth down the corridor. why did he open the door to the Tenth's end, why did he just say a simple "Goodbye" and not "See you later"? Why wasn't a fraction of a minute earlier?

Why?

Why, why, why. Regret was not going to help him in any way. He was not going to get the Tenth back with regret. No, he was not getting the Tenth back in anyway. He was...gone.

Gone forever.

A tear slid down his cheeks as those thoughts came to mind. He bit his lower lip, trying hard to suppress the sorrow that was building up in him. Other thoughts of angst came to his mind, and he felt his cheeks go stiff with tears.

But still, he found out, he should not wallow in self-pity, for worse a sin, it was.

And then, everything, all his opinions, changed when that concept came to light.

He forced a smile. With the Tenth gone, Vongola had to be taken care of by him, although only temporarily. Yes, he had to rise to situation. What is past, is past. There's no point in crying over split milk.

The smile made him feel better. The fog of depression slowly lifted and for the first time in seven days, Gokudera could clearly see the better things in life. He should be grateful to Yamamoto for supporting him. He should be looking for ways to rid Byakuran of this world, to take revenge for the Tenth. He should be out there, working to get things back into order in Vongola. If the Boss appointed him as the right hand man, it meant that he wanted Gokudera to take charge when he was not around.

Determination filled Gokudera. He fulfil the last request of the Tenth. He would take care of Vongola, as a proper right-hand man.

He had to be someone who would make the Tenth proud of him, not someone who portrayed himself as a weakling. He hated the fact that he was so soft. He shouldn't be like that. He should be...

A clap of thunder drew him out of his chain of thoughts. He looked up and out of the window. Rain had begun to fall. Trees swayed in the strong wind. Flashes of lightning flew down from the sky. Thunder roared.

A storm.

_The Tenth must be angry at me for getting depressed..._

_Sorry._

_I'll do what you want me to, Tenth._

Another strike of lightning made his ring glimmer. He looked at it, and then at the dark clouds.

"I am the Storm who is continuously at the heart of attack, the raging storm that never rests. I command lightning to strike those who dare hurt the Sky. I shield the Sky from enemies with the endless heavy curtains of rain. Fierce winds carry my warnings to foes. Only stop, I will, when threats have been eliminated. However, should danger surface, I will always come back to protect the Sky."

A genuine smile, one that was lost for days, formed on the sides of Gokudera's lips. He had decided.

He was going to do as the Tenth had wanted him to do so.

_Yeah, I will._

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**...I think it was about 900 plus words...I was hoping to reach 1000 words, but I ultimately (and miserably) failed...**

**Sorry again.**

**Well, anyway, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!! Next up, is Yamamoto!**

**Woo...This is gonna be tough, getting a sad Yamamoto...**

**I just realised, anyone bothered counting the number of "the Tenth"? I think I typed a lot of it...**


	4. Yamamoto Takeshi

**Whew...SOOOOOO SORRY for being so slow in updating this!!! *bows***

**Yes, yes, you can go around saying that I'm pathetic. I'm a snail.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

**GAH. I can't believe I took 3 months to update...SORRY. Please, please, don't kill me!!!

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It was raining.

I stood out in the garden, feeling the droplets fall onto me. I looked up at the thin clouds; the rain would not last. It was just a downpour.

My clothes were soaked, and so was I. My conscience screamed at me to get indoors or risk getting a cold, but I was frozen. More likely, I refused to budge. A small tear trickled down my check to the side of my lips; I could taste the salt.

Memories of that fateful day flowed into my mind. I clenched my teeth, regret filling me. Why didn't I go into the room? Why didn't I react faster?

Hibari was right; I am pathetic. I couldn't protect my best friend, my boss. It haunted me everyday, like I was possessed.

My thoughts drifted to the funeral. My heart ached when images fluttered into my head. Gokudera, Bianchi, Chrome, I-Pin, Lambo… Hibari, even. No one could mask their feelings. It was too much for them to bear. We had already lost so much, the passing of our boss unquestionably brought more pain, aggravated the situation.

Tsuna changed my whole life, from a baseball idiot to one of the two Sword Emperors. It had definitely been a lot. Through him, I have met so many people, like Gokudera, Lambo, Chrome, Senpai, Hibari, Mukuro, Reborn and everyone else. For that, I am grateful. But he left too early. I had no chance to thank him.

As I thought of all those miserable thoughts, I saw my life flash before me. The day I met Tsuna, when we became friends. I chuckled coldly. Then, I was trying to commit suicide for breaking my arm. It was ludicrous, thinking about it now. Stupid. Utterly stupid. Tsuna was the one who saved my life. Again, I wanted to thank him. But he was gone. Forever.

So much, we had been through together. Lunches at school, scoldings in class, tuition with Tsuna, battles… It was all gone now. It would never come back.

I looked up and the rain gently drummed on my face. It was tranquilizing in its own way. Peaceful. I felt a small wave of serenity wash over me. For a short while, with eyes closed, I allowed myself to drown in momentary calmness. It felt good, letting me forget all about the pain in my chest.

But it came back.

The peace was but an illusion, created by the soft thumping of the rain. A knife of grief stabbed me once again.

Please, please, come back.

I beg you, Tsuna.

I prayed silently, wishing, hoping…

But I knew it would never come. That day would never happen. It is no more than a child's dream, a false hope.

It would never come.

I tried to convince myself by repeating that phrase over and over again, but a part of me just wanted to reach out, find Tsuna. A part that would want to just cling onto the desperate wish. A part that… is calling out for him.

And then I felt myself trembling. It was not from the cold. It was from the unbearable pain within. I refused to believe that he was gone, despite trying to let it go. It was just a certain feeling in me that held on. Holding on to the small spark of impossible hope, and tormenting myself with it.

I spoke.

"I am the rain who tranquilizes all. I fall as the Sky's tears, and I go back to the world above to stay by the Sky's side. Never can I disappear; I will always be there, whether a puddle on Earth, a vapour in the air, or a cloud in the Sky."

As I finished my speech, my cheeks felt stiff. I touched it in awe, and I realized something.

My face was wet, but not from the rain.

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**Hm...I think that this was kinda hard writing cause' Yamamoto is rarely angry or sad...But I'd like to thank everyone for their kind support in encouraging me to continue this. THANK YOU!!!**

**Reviews are love? :)**


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